When Nathaniel Clyne stepped out for the first time in an England shirt, it wasn’t just the Southampton fans who cheered and exclaimed “About time!” – a large percentage of South London had been waiting for this day ever since Neil Warnock plucked him from the Palace Academy at just 17 and put him in the first team. Nobody had really identified Clyne as a future first team player, let alone England International at this stage, but from the first moment it was clear we were looking at a genuinely special home-grown talent. Huddersfield winger Sean Scannell, himself a Palace academy graduate, once described Clyne’s defending ability as “like a robot” and commented “There’s something wrong with him!” when quizzed about the consistency of his team mate. We all knew what he meant!
The fact that Palace fans took so much joy in seeing his career reach the level we all though it would is very much the reason I find myself writing this article today. The latest talents of Wilfried Zaha and Jonny Williams got people, quite rightly, excited about the two capped full international players that are “two of our own” and it begs the question – who’s next?
Let’s start with those who have made the professional ranks, but not yet got themselves a first team place.
Ryan Inniss:
Inniss has been talked about since he was 14/15 as a huge prospect. A centre-back, Inniss was about 6ft 5 at 15 years old and as well as his physical attributes, showed a footballing brain and maturity beyond his years. Rumours of Man City interest prior to his agreement to a pro-deal at Palace were very strong, but the way through to the first team at a club like Palace proved enough to retain his services.
Since that time, Inniss’ development has been slightly hampered by injury troubles, but at 19 he has begun to build first-team experience in the loan market, as well as making the bench for Palace. Spells last season at Cheltenham, Luton and Gillingham saw mixed results and this season he’s been at Yeovil, featuring sporadically as he makes the transition into the first-team game.
He represented England at U16 and U17 level, often as skipper, but has not had the call over the last few seasons. Palace are not renowned for producing centre-backs but there are high hopes Inniss will buck that trend and be ready to push for a place in the near future. His potential is terrific if he can operate under the pressures of the top level.
Alex Wynter
Currently on loan at Portsmouth, Wynter was actually involved for the first team at 16 years old, coming off the bench in the 93rd minute in an FA Cup win against Sheffield Wednesday. Wynter was tipped as a future international and a bright star – and he also displayed maturity beyond his years. He was skipper of the U18’s and impressing in a pre-season training camp along with the likes of Jonny Williams and Kyle De Silva before injury struck.
Wynter was out for an extended period and when he returned struggled for games – such is the nature of youth football, someone will soon take your place if you are out and it can be a difficult road back. Whilst his allocated place was at CB, Wynter has often been deployed in midfield or in the full back positions. Having interviewed Wynter at 16, I can vouch for the fact he enjoyed playing in midfield most of all at that time and had been picking up a few goals.
Now 21 it has been difficult for him to get into the first team picture. Competent displays at U21 level have meant the logical step was a season out on loan. Wynter may well be a lesson in what an injury at the wrong time can do to a young player, but a future in the professional game should be within his reach if he continues to work hard and who knows, that might still end up being at Palace in the long-term.
Connor Dymond
Dymond is an interesting case. Certainly a player with talent, he is also a player with a huge appetite for the physical side of the game. I’ve seen him come off the bench an U21 match and totally change the course of the game through tough tackling and sheer force of will.
He has played as a centre-back and in midfield but you get the impression he’d do a job anywhere for the team. Now 21 (or very nearly!) he’s had a couple of contract extensions despite not threatening a first team squad inclusion and the club seem keen to have him around and see what happens.
A loan spell at Barnet produced a goal and some all-action displays when used and I would expect him to have a good professional career – and one thing is for certain. He will make the very best of his ability and will leave nothing to chance.
I would say a regular career as a first team player at a Premier League Crystal Palace is unlikely, but as with Wynter, you never really know what will happen.
Jerome Binnom-Williams
My first look at Williams was as a substitute left winger. He did not stand out, but was very young at that time. Fast forward a couple of years and a first team début against Bristol City and loan spells at Forest Green and, currently, Southend United show a very different 19 year old JBW.
He’s now a left-back of good reputation, having been noticed by the England youth system on occasion. He’s now a very imposing physical player, but has lost none of the pace and direct running from playing as a winger. Decent delivery and a good shot are now coupled with a developing defensive game,
Williams spent most of pre-season as the first-choice left back, with Joel Ward occupying the right side until the signing of Martin Kelly. He never looked out of place and it was feasible he could have started in the Premier League had Kelly not made the switch.
He’s featured regularly at Southend and his development looks to be on the right track. You would feel it more likely he’ll need a loan spell in the Championship to see if he can make the step up to Palace’s current level but a he has a chance.
David Gregory
A devoted Palace fan, goalkeeper Gregory has been with the club since a very young age. The summer saw the club make a clear statement of intent by allowing fellow goalkeepers Ross Fitzsimmons and Tom King to leave on a free, seemingly banking on Greogory to be the one to provide competition to the senior goalkeepers.
Currently on loan at Bishop’s Stortford getting valuable first team experience, the path for a goalkeeper is rarely one where they break into a side as a teenager or in their early 20’s and stay there. Gregory has seen off strong competition so far and it would great to have a palace fan between the sticks.
Having seen Gregory on a few occasions, he does not seem to have an obvious weakness – seemingly competent in all areas and being a good communicator. Certainly a promising, developing talent.
Hiram Boateng
Boateng is another interesting case. His emergence on the scene came in an FA Cup tie against Stoke days after he turned 17. He started the game alongside Mile Jedinak and played 65 minutes before going off – and was excellent. In fact Palace looked a worse side when he went off and fell apart in extra time, losing 4-1.
Since that moment, he’s played just once more for the first team – again in the FA Cup. This time it was a 2-0 win against West Brom and Boateng had a strong 68 minutes.
A combative and technically decent midfielder, he has the attributes to play a number of roles in the centre, and has also found himself occasionally shifted to full back in some friendlies and reserve games for spells. A loan to Crawley last season failed to offer him the regular first team action he needs to progress fully, but he is still a very good prospect for his age and should come good in the near future.
Sullay KaiKai
A great footballing name and an exciting talent. A direct runner who has been used in a variety of midfield and forward positions, KaiKai clicked last season. He scored a lot of goals in youth and reserve games – many of which with trademark free-kicks, as he is deadly from range. Whilst he had a similarly unsuccessful loan at Crawley with Boateng, fans will be aware of his goalscoring appearance in the League Cup defeat to Newcastle when he came off the bench to grab a goal for the first team.
Neil Warnock pointed at the both the goal and a subsequent error of losing his man when Palace conceded the game winning goal shortly afterwards as summing up the situation with KaiKai – he’s got the talent but now has to learn the game. At the time of writing he has just agreed a short term loan to Cambridge, which gives him the ideal chance to learn. Another with a big chance.
Jake Gray
Like KaiKai, Gray has made his first team début this season. A player picked up from Wycombe following the closure of their youth academy, he has played right-side, in behind the striker and up top in the games I have seen but also can play centrally. Gray has good feet, excellent awareness and an eye for a goal.
Held in very high regard at the club, Gray has progressed steadily and a loan beckons to test him the first team environment.
Ghass Sow
Sow was talked about at 13 as the best prospect at the club. In a game I saw at Bromley where the development squad played Cray Wanderers, Sow picked up what I seem to recall was a stress fracture of his leg going in for a hard challenge. He played on for some time before being subbed, which may not have helped, but is another example of an injury at the wrong time.
Sow was out of the picture for a while – and several players were ready to step up – Boateng being one in particular who took the chance. He has struggled to play regularly since, although in a couple of games I have seen has shown flashes of his ability as a hard tackling, hard working central midfielder with excellent technique.
The club have stuck with Sow, trying to work on him over the summer by sending him to play for Shefki Kuqi’s FC Honka in Finland. He is now seemingly fit to play but has some work to do if he is to progress. Although just 19, most people who saw him in the early days would have expected a breakthrough by now. Fingers crossed.
Kyle De Silva
De Silva came to prominence at 14/15 winning Scholar of the Year and being talked about as the next big talent to come through. A diminutive “number 10” he broke through to the first team fringes and made a handful of appearances, usually playing left wing.
As has been the case for a fair few of the most talked about young players, injuries have played a huge part in preventing us from seeing what he is really capable of. Prior to injury issues he was a creator and scorer of goals from midfield – direct, pact and possessing great vision.
For Kyle it has been a succession of injuries as opposed to one big injury that have caused so many problems – but he is still only 20 and appears to be through the worst of it. It may be that the time he has lost out on in his development prevents him from reaching the heights he may have done, but getting out and playing some games is the only way we’ll see.
A genuine Palace fan, nobody will want him to succeed more than Kyle himself.
Reise Allessani
A player of whom the hype was generated several years ago. Gary Issott mentioned he had played Reise in an under 18 game at 15 years old – and that he had not done this since Victor Moses, showing how highly in regard he was held at that time.
Allessani was selected regularly in England youth squads, scoring a memorable goal on TV against Wales in the Victory Shield from long range. Indeed a youtube search will show you plenty of videos of the pace and skill Allessani has at his feet.
Unfortunately for him, a combination of illness, other players and seemingly low confidence have meant recent performances have not had the same level of energy and excitement of his breakthrough. I saw him score a lovely goal in the U21s last season – but after coming on as a sub.
There is little doubt the youngster has a huge amount of talent and Palace fans will be hoping that Reise can rediscover the joy he showed playing in those early days and not go the way of some other mercurial talents we have seen promise a lot and sadly fall short.
That completes my initial list.
Behind those (or in some cases playing alongside those) are the next generation of Palace kids with their eyes firmly set on success. Here’s a list of those I’ve seen or been told about, with some brief comment on what to expect. Most of these lads are from the original group of U15’s who attended the first year of the academy set-up by Palace within Oasis School to increase contact time with the best of the young players – and we’ll soon be seeing if that vision has had a discernible effect on the way our young talent develops with this group and those that follow.
Mandela Egbo
So everyone wants to know “Who’s the next big thing?” – Egbo is the next big thing. A right-back, Egbo is already an accomplished defender but also carries a big threat going forward, weighing in with goals and assists on a regular basis. He has pace, strength, skill and possesses a “footballing brain” – that’s the thing you see when a player plays without fear and makes good choices through instinct. Make no mistake, he is top drawer.
He recently tweeted about Nathaniel Clyne being an inspiration – Egbo, himself representing England at U16, U17 and now U18 level – and has every chance of following in his footsteps. There is still a lot of work ahead for sure, but at just 17 he is the Palace U21 right-back. He won’t be far off the first team squad by the end of the season if his development continues.
Matt George
George at left back, who I am fairly sure has occasionally operated centrally, is talked about in some circles as being another big prospect. Not one I have seen too much – he had a fairly difficult spell of injuries – he has recently been featuring much more for the U21’s than the U18’s. Recent left-back prospects such as Lee Hills and Matt Parsons have not quite made the strides expected of them. His development should be watched closely as he could well prove a few people right in terms of his potential.
Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong
The son of two GB athletes, Triple-jumper Francis and long-jumper Mary, Jacob operates on the left-wing. Possessing great pace and skill, he has also demonstrated an eye for goal – particularly when scoring a rapid hattrick in a 4-4 draw with Sheffield Wednesday last season. Good pedigree and well regarded, another whose development shows promise.
Will Hoare
A combative and intelligent midfielder who has represented Scotland at International level, Will was one of the standout players from the Oasis academy group and has continued that progress in the U18s. Another who has been talked of having a very good chance for some time, he is in an area of the pitch where there is a lot of competition. The U21s and a loan are the next logical step for him to see what level he can reach.
Michael Phillips
Phillips has come back from serious injury to explode onto the scene in recent games. Having played at CB a fair bit, he has moved back into midfield and cannot stop scoring. Hattricks against Barnsley and Colchester U18’s in particular show that he has a lot to offer in defence and attack from the middle.
Aaron Bissaka
A winger/forward who can operate wide on either side and centrally, Bissaka was awarded the Oasis Shirley Park Player of the Year in May this year. There was some considerable competition for that title, so that shows the regard he is held in. A provider more than a scorer perhaps, but a very promising talent.
Andre Coker
Coker operate on the wing and possess skill and pace in abundance. Since moving into the U18’s Coker has impressed greatly and picked up a couple of goals as well. Certainly one of a number of hugely promising, pacy, wide players – surely some of whom will be dubbed “The next Zaha” before long.
Corie Andrews
Andrews is a striker who possess lightning pace and finishes naturally. Palace have not produced an out and out striker since Clinton Morrison, but all the signs are that is about to change with Andrews. Promoted to the U18s from the U15s last season, he is the main man up front for the U18s this season. He’s not only scoring consistently, he is playing the role consistently well. It’s early days, but it looks like he has a big future.
This is not an exhaustive list, all the lads who have made it into the system have a lot of talent – and it’s worth noting that Nathaniel Clyne would likely not have appeared is this list before he made his debut at 17 had it been written at that time! Beyond that, there are comments attributed to those in the know that the U16s have some serious talent in the ranks and the U18s has seen, due to the promotion of the outstanding talents to the U21’s, a decent number of players playing above their age group.
In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be delving deeper into the academy setup to check the development of the latest Palace stars and to look at the challenges of managing an effective academy.
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